Coffee at Midnight
by alygator86
Summary: Mark and Teddy meet in New York a couple days after 9/11. And this is the actual fic. FML
1. Chapter 1

Coffee At Midnight

Disclaimer: If we go back in time and undo what Shonda did and change some stuff around, that could be this fic. Give me Grey's for my birthday!

Rating: M

Summary: Mark and Teddy meet in New York a couple days after 9/11.

I wrote this for BFFPhoebe. She has no wifi on her ski vacation so we can't rp and I said I'd write for her. ILU.

BFFSara kicks ass for betaing as quickly as she did.

I shall also mention BFFSteph so that everyone is mentioned in this note lol.

Rachel – PEERPRESSUREOHGOD!

MTMTMTMT

Teddy had spent the last two days at work, working with doctors she had never met before. She was currently at the coffee cart getting coffee at midnight.

"Crazy couple of days, huh?" A voice behind her asked.

She turned around to see yet another doctor she had never met before. "Yeah. I haven't been home since about 7 am on the 11th."

He nodded, "Same here. Mark Sloan, Plastics," he held out his hand to shake hers.

She accepted the offer and shook his hand, "Teddy Altman, Cardio."

"Nice to meet you at the coffee cart at midnight," he smiled.

"Likewise," she laughed, "I have surgery in half an hour so I need my dose of caffeine," Teddy couldn't help but smile back at him.

"Surgery in an hour for me," He stepped up to the coffee cart with her when it was her turn, got his coffee as well and paid for both.

Teddy sipped her coffee, hiding her smile, "do you make it a habit to buy coffee for women you have just met?"

"Only the ones I'm interested in," Mark grinned at her.

"So all of them then?" She teased him and found it easy to do so; she felt comfortable with him even though he was picking her up at midnight at the coffee cart.

He chuckled, "Any idea when you get off?"

"I think the chief will be sending me home after this surgery. We need to sleep sometime," she drank more of her coffee, the warm liquid flowing down her throat, "My, uh, my best friend was in the second tower. She liked birds," it was weird saying it aloud. After she found out she spent an hour or two - she wasn't really sure - in an on call room crying. Two days later, at least she thought it was about two days later she actually told someone.

Mark just met this woman but he hugged her. She looked like she needed a hug so he wrapped his arms around her, mindful of their coffees and after a few seconds of surprise she hugged him back.

After a few moments, he pulled away and wrote down his phone number on the back of the coffee reciept then handed it to her, "Call me when you get off and get some sleep and we can get together."

Teddy took the slip of paper and put it in the pocket of her white lab coat, "For...a date?"

"For whatever you want," he smirked before taking a drink from his coffee cup.

She licked her bottom lip unconsciously, "Whatever I want? I might take you up on that."

"Good," he was attracted to her and interested by her and he wanted to spend more time with her, "Not to get rid of you but don't you have to get ready for surgery?"

"I do," she nodded, "it was nice meeting you, Mark. I will call you."

Mark grinned, "I'll be awaiting your call, Teddy. Good luck in surgery."

"Thanks. You too," Teddy smiled before heading off to finish her coffee and scrub in.

MTMTMTMT

Teddy called Mark the next afternoon and that night he took her out for some drinks. They talked about where they went to school and did their residencies and what they usually do at work. Teddy told him a little more about her best friend and Mark told her about Derek.

They were slightly tipsy when they left the bar and Mark insisted on walking her home. They got to her apartment building and she turned to him with a smile.

"Do you want to come up?" she asked, "For coffee or something?"

"I'd love to," Mark replied, both of them knowing it was really for the 'or something'.

Teddy led him to the elevator and they got on when the doors opened. She pressed 10 and the elevator started its joruney upwards.

"I don't usually do this," Teddy said somewhat suddenly.

"Ride elevators?" Asked Mark, slightly confused.

"Have sex with men I just met."

"I don't usually have sex with men I just met either," he smirked at her.

Teddy laughed, "You know what I mean."

Instead of replying, Mark leaned over and kissed her, softly at first and once she responded he deepened the kiss. Teddy slid her arms around his neck and parted her lips to allow this tongue into her mouth.

The elevator chimed and opened on her floor and Mark, with his hands on her hips maneuvered them off the elevator. He pushed her against the wall as his tongue throoughly explored her mouth.

They lips parted when the need for oxygen became too great.

"Which one is yours?" he asked, his lips making their way to her neck.

"1016," she replied, gasping softly as he sucked lightly as her pulse point.

He pulled away with a smile, "Lead the way."

Mark followed her down the hall to her apartment and he slid his arms around her from behind and slowly kissed her neck as she unlocked the door.

It took her slightly longer than normal to open the door due to the alcohol and his lips. Once inside she led him to her bedroom, various clothing items were shed along the way.

Left in just underwear, Teddy laid down on her bed. Mark kneeled above her, his eyes running down her body.

"You're gorgeous," he leaned down to kiss along her collarbone.

"You're not so bad yourself," she ran her fingers through his hair.

Mark slid his hands under her to unhook her bra and slide the straps down her arms. He tossed it to the side and lowered his mouth to her left breast, his left hand massaging the right. His lips made their way around her breast before he ran his tongue over her nipple. Mark found her moan encouraging and took the rosy bud into his mouth, sucking gently. He sucked and licked at her nipple while his hand teased the nipple of the other breast.

His lips trailed kisses to the other breast and did the same while his free hand slid down her body.

Teddy ran her hand over his hair, loving what his lips were doing. He made her gasp and moan and squirm under him.

Mark kissed a path down her stomach and hooked his fingers into the top of her panties, pulling them down when she raised her hips. He spread her legs a little more and kissed her inner thigh. Mark lowered his head to her center and lightly flicked his tongue over her clit before licking up her slit.

Teddy moaned louder, one hand in his hair and the other grasping the comforter. He pushed his tongue into her wet opening and thrust it slowly, drawing out more moans from her.

Soon his fingers replaced his tongue and his tongue slid up to tease her clit. He thrust two fingers in and out of her while sucking and nipping and licking her clit. She was moaning and squirming above him, her fingers tightening in his hair when he hit a good spot. He alternated thrusting and curling and uncurling his fingers inside her, stroking her g-spot as he sucked her clit.

After not too long, his fingers and mouth brought her to her orgasm and she was moaning his name as her hand fisted the comforter and pulled at his hair. He slowed his fingers and softly licked her clit prolonging her orgasm.

Teddy's moans softened and Mark pulled his fingers out of her. And kissed her stomach.

"Mmm wow," she laughed softly.

Mark chuckled, "I'm not done with you yet. I'll be right back."

He headed out to the living room to find his pants. In his pants was his wallet and in his wallet were a couple condoms.

Mark came back a couple minutes later and kneeled between her legs again. He opened his wallet to fish out a condom and Teddy reached down to push down his boxers and stroke his erection. She wrapped her hand around him and pumped her hand up and down his shaft. He groaned softly and smirked at her.

"You can have your turn later, babe."

"Good," she smiled at him. She wasn't usually this forward, there was just something about him and she had to admit she liked it.

He opened the condom and once she removed her hand he kicked off his boxers and rolled the condom onto his dick. Mark leaned down to kiss her languidly and slowly thrust into her allowing her walls to stretch around him. Teddy moaned against his lips as her body took him in. He felt really good and it had been a while since she had had sex.

He gave her a moment to adjust to his size, his tongue battling with hers as he slowly thrust within her.

Breathing heavier, he lowered his lips to her neck. Teddy ran her hands down his back, moving her hips to meet his thrusts. Mark was doing something to her neck with his tongue and it felt amazing. He thrust into her faster, moaning along with her.

His lips moved along her collarbone to her throat and over to the other side of her neck.

Thrusting and rocking their hips and kissing her body, Mark brought her to a second orgasm moaning and scrating her nails up his back. He had been holding back until he made her come. Her walls pulsed around him and he came, groaning against her neck. He thrust into her slowly a couple more times while they worked on coming down from their highs.

After pulling out and disposing of the condom he found her under the blanket and he laid down next to her.

"Again. Wow," she turned her head to smiled at him.

He chuckled softly, "I aim to please."

"Oh yes you do," she giggled.

They laid in silence for a few minutes before Teddy spoke again.

"I'm going to join the army. The Medical Corps. I want to do something more and I'm sure they need more surgeons and with all the talk about getting back at these people...its possible there'll be a war and then they'll really need more-"

Mark cut off her rambling with a kiss. He pulled away slowly, "If that's what you want to do then you should do it. I think you'd be good at it."

Teddy smiled, "I'm sorry for rambling at you. I don't really have anyone to talk to now."

"Don't apologize. Ramble all you want. Its cute actually," he smiled at her, "I'm just disappointed that I won't get another date."

"Who said you wouldn't get another date? And getting me half drunk was a date?" She asked, "I think you have to take me to dinner for it to count as a date."

Mark chuckled, "I will take you to dinner and do other date things until you leave for the army whenever that is. And you can ramble at me."

"Okay. And I'll write rambly letters to you," she laughed.

"As long as you call me when you get out. Then I'll take you out for drinks and have my way with you again."

Teddy laughed, "that's a deal."

MTMTMTMTMTMTMTMT

5 years later

"Hello?" Mark answered his phone - it was a Seattle number but he didn't recognize it.

"Hey. Its Teddy. Do you know how hard it was to get your number?" she asked with a laugh.

They had written back and forth for a year or so but she got moved and things got lost and they lost touch. But she said she would call him when she got out of the army and she was.

Mark chuckled, "Hey Teddy. How are you?"

"I'm pretty good. By the area code it looks like you're in Seattle, too."

"I am. I moved about three years ago. Derek moved and I thought why not! Change of scenery. What brings you to Seattle?" he really wanted to see her. He didn't realize how much until now, hearing her voice.

"A friend got me a job at Seattle Grace Hospital," she couldn't believe how much his voice made her melt after 5 years.

"Seattle Grace? You're kidding. I work there. Whose your friend?"

"Owen Hunt. He's a trauma surgeon."

Mark chuckled, "He hangs out with Derek and I a lot."

"That's funny! I'm going to be working with you," she smiled widely.

"Are you doing anything right now?"

"I am not."

Mark grabbed his jacket off the couch, "Meet me at Joe's. Its the bar across the street from the hospital."

MTMTMT

A couple drinks later they were pretty much all caught up. He hadn't been seeing anyone for a while; she told him about some fantastic surgeries in the desert and stories he could tease Owen about.

"I must say I'm glad the thing with Addison didn't work out," Teddy smiled before sipping her drink.

"I think I am too. Its really good to see you again," he grinned.

"It is. You look great," she smiled widely. Before she left for the army he could make her stomach do flip flops and he was doing it again.

"You should go out with me tomorrow night," he told her.

"I'm not the same as I was in New York," she told him softly. War changes a person and she was there for five years working to save injured soilders.

"That's perfect," Mark smiled, "Neither am I. Go out with me tomorrow."

A grin spread across her face, "Okay. I'll go out with you tomorrow."


	2. Chapter 2

Mark was sitting in the busy cafeteria with Callie and Arizona, sharing some gossip he had heard that morning when Owen came up with Teddy.

"Mind if we join you?" Owen asked.

"Not at all," Arizona smiled.

Teddy took a seat next to Mark and Owen sat across from her, next to Arizona.

"I was wondering when I'd see you," Mark leaned over and kissed her cheek.

"You two know each other?" Callie asked, "why don't I know about this?"

"Its a long story," Teddy laughed softly.

"How's your first day going? You ready to go back to Baghdad yet?" Mark laughed.

"I'm actually really impressed," she told them, "The facility, the equipment, the caliber of the residents

"Have you met Cristina yang yet?" Arizona asked, drinking some of her soda.

Teddy nodded, "Cristina Yang might, in fact, be the best resident I have ever seen."

"You think?" Owen was slightly surprised.

"Yeah," she took a bite of her sandwich, "I don't think she likes me but yeah I do."

"She doesn't like you?" Mark asked as sort of a warning.

"Maaark," Callie rolled her eyes.

"No. you're probably right. Just because Yang drove off the last 3 cardio attendings doesn't mean-"

Owen cut him off, "She did not."

"Burke?" Was Mark's first example.

Owen shook his head, "Come on. That was..."

Mark continued, "Hahn?"

"She had nothing to do with Hahn," Owen countered.

"No, that was me," Callie told them, reaching over to grab something off Arizona's tray.

"Dixon?" Mark named the last cardio attending.

"Cristina just needs a strong cardio attending and she deserves a strong cardio attending," defended Owen.

"Cristina?" Teddy asked, catching the unusual use of a first name, "Huh. Wow. So you and Yang? What happened to you and Beth?"

Mark leaned over, his gossip ending up useful, "Oh he didn't tell you? Beth showed up at the hospital one day. She didn't even know he was - OW,"

Arizona innocently drank her soda and Mark turned to Callie.

"Did you just kick me?"

"That was me," Arizona told him sweetly.

Teddy laughed softly, "So wait, wait when you called me up and you told me about this great job at this great hospital you were just brining me out here as a, a present for your new girlfriend?"

Owen felt awkward all of the sudden when it was put that way. "It is a great job with ~great people...one of whom just happens to be...yeah. yeah," he chuckled nervously.

"Thanks for that," Mark told him, "Yang's not the only one who gets her as a present."

"Aawww!" Arizona smiled.

"I don't care how long the story is," Callie swallowed her chips, "You have to tell us now because Mr. Gossip hasn't told me a thing!"

"There's not much to it," Teddy ate more of her sandwich.

"We met at the hospital where she worked in New York a couple days after 9/11. I was there to help out and we met at the coffee cart."

"He tried to pick me up and me bought me coffee. He gave me his number and told me to call him after I got some sleep," she smiled.

"And you called him!" Arizona guessed. She loved these types of stories.

"I did and we went out for drinks and we uh..."

"Slept together," supplied Callie. Everyone looked at her and she shrugged, "its Mark, that's the next logical step."

"She initiated it," Mark told his friend. It wasn't always him!

"Okay," Callie replied, not believing that.

Teddy laughed, "then I told him I wanted to join the army and it was nice to be able to talk to him, to someone."

"And we...dated until she left."

"He's the guy?" Owen asked. It now clicked. Teddy told him about the great guy she dated before she enlisted. It was supposed to be easy, no strings attached but she got attached and they lost touch when the army moved her around. Owen told her she should write to the guy again but she told him she didn't want to make him wait; he should be able to move on.

Teddy nodded with a smile, "he's the guy."

"And you ended up in Seattle together!" Arizona grinned, "I love this story."

"You think you can get used to the rain?" Mark asked her.

Teddy smiled, "yes. It started raining when we were waiting for an ambulance. I danced in it," she giggled.

"You'll get to do that a lot more," Mark smiled, loving her enthusiasm about such a common occurance in this city.

MTMTMTMT

Mark met up with Teddy in the lobby when their shifts were over. It was drizzling and he had his umbrella.

"We don't need that!" Teddy told him, taking his hand and going out into the light rain.

Mark chuckled and left the black umbrella closed, indulging her.

"We're not even getting wet," Teddy told him as they walked towards his apartment building, "where are we going?"

"To a little French restaurant," he smiled.

She nudged him and looked at him with a grin, "you remembered!"

"Of course I remembered your favorite food," Mark chuckled.

Teddy stopped walking and when he turned to ask what was wrong, she kissed him. The rain began to fall harder but neither cared and Teddy thought it was perfect. She slid her arms around his neck as he deepened the kiss and the light rain dampened their hair.

Mark pulled away after a few moments and smiled at her.

"Its raining again," she grinned, tilting her head back.

"Yeah, it does that here a lot," he chuckled, enjoying how much she loved the rain.

Teddy pulled away and took his hand as she continued their walk, "Good. Five years without rain makes you forget how amazing it is."

MTMTMTMTMT

Mark was dropping charts off at the nurses station when Lexie came up to him.

"Hi, Dr. Sloan," she smiled.

"Hello Dr. Grey," he replied. Lexie flirted with him ocassionally but she was his best friend's wife's little sister and while she was attractive, he wasn't going there.

"What are you doing tonight?" She asked, leaning against the counter.

Just then Teddy appeared, passing a chart between then. "Ferry boat!" She said quite decesively.

"What?" Mark asked, slightly confused.

"Our next date," she clarified with a smile, "you can take me on a ferry boat."

"You want a date on a ferry boat?" He thought it was pretty cute actually and neither noticed Lexie's confused expression.

"Yes," she nodded, "not the whole thing, just part of it."

Mark chuckled, "Okay. We'll go on a ferry boat."

"Great! I'll see you later," she gave him a quick kiss before heading off to a consult.

"Isn't she the new cardio attending?" Lexie asked, not liking the dating going on there.

"Yeah," he nodded, "we dated in New York years ago. Then we both ended up here and we're dating again."

"That's nice," Lexie told him before leaving and heading back to the pit.

MTMTMTMT

After their date which included dinner and a ferry boat ride, they went back to his place, had a little wine and ended up in bed together.

Mark was awokened by Teddy mumbling in her sleep. He could tell she was upset. He called her name and shook her shoulder gently. She awoke with a start, her heart beating quickly and when she saw him she threw her arms around him.

He ran his hand up and down her bare back as she calmed herself down. Once her heart rate was somewhat normal she loosened her grip on him.

"Are you okay?" He asked softly.

She pulled away and laid down again and he followed suit. The air was cool and their blankets were warm.

"I have nightmares sometimes," she told him quietly, "I don't remember very much when I wake up except that there's a lot of death and hurt."

"I'm sorry," he brushed some of her hair back with his fingers.

"I'm afraid of scaring you away," she admited in a whisper.

"I love you," he told her with a smile, "I was falling in love with you in New York. You're stuck with me."

They had been together 5 months when they decided it was silly to have seperate places when they were together all the time. A couple floors up from Mark's apartment was a recently vacated, larger, 2 bedroom apartment and they signed the lease the day they looked at it.

Teddy was in her office looking at some furniture online when her boyfriend came into her office. He looked slightly worried and sat down on her couch with a sigh.

"What's up?" She asked, minimizing the webpage and turning to him.

"I might have a kid," he raked his hand through his hair, "she really could be mine."

Teddy got up and went to sit next to him, "Can I have more of the story here?"

"I was debreving a burn in the pit and this blonde girl comes up to me and says her name is Sloan Riley and her mom is Samantha Riley and she's pretty sure I'm her dad. She's like 18."

"Could she be right? Do you remember her mom?" Teddy asked, trying to keep him from freaking out because it looked like he might.

"We were 18," he told her, "Sam said the test was negative and I went off to school and I didn't think about it anymore. Callie's doing a paternity test."

"Okay, that's good. Then you'll know for sure and you can stop freaking out or continue freaking out," she smiled softly at him.

"Why aren't you freaking out?" He asked, very curious about that.

"I don't know," she shrugged, "because one of us has to be calm?"

"Let's go with that," he chuckled before kissing her softly.

MTMTMTMTMT

That night, Teddy got home first and was cleaning up before starting dinner. She got pulled into a surgery and didn't get a chance to talk to him after he left her office so she decided to just wait until he got home.

And he did get home shortly after her, with a blonde teenager she guessed was Sloan.

"Hi," she greeted them both with a smile.

"Hey," Mark gave Teddy a quick kiss, "Sloan, this my girlfriend, Teddy. Teddy this is Sloan. My daughter."

"Its very nice to meet you, Sloan," Teddy smiled, holding her hand out to shake Sloan's.

"Yeah, uh, you too," Sloan replied disinterestedly, shaking her hand relunctantly and looking around, "so this is where I'm staying, huh?"

"Yeah," Mark smiled, "we actually have a spare room so that can be your room for the time being."

"How long will you be staying with us?" Teddy asked, watching as Sloan started walking around the apartment, looking at their pictures and various nick nacks.

"Oh, you know, just a little while," she dropped her bag on the couch and looked at them, "so what's for dinner?"

"Um I was thinking of making grilled chicken with mashed potatoes and some vegetable," Teddy replied, "unless you want something else."

Sloan flopped down on the couch, "No, that sounds good...as long as we don't have peas. I hate peas."

"So do I," Teddy smiled.

MTMTMTMTMT

Sloan had been staying with them for a week and things were going pretty well - they were still getting used to each other but Mark had a small problem.

"I don't know how to talk to her!" Mark told his girlfriend who was in the middle of changing clothes in their bedroom.

"She's a girl," Teddy told him simply, "a somewhat stuck up girl, but a girl. Clothing, shoes, make up. You go shopping with me. You can do it. Maybe you can ask why she left New York."

"You're amazing," he told her before kissing her.

She smiled at him, "thank you. Go talk to her."

Mark left their bedroom and found Sloan in the kitchen pouring some soda.

"Hey," he greeted her.

"Hi," she replied, putting the bottle back in the fridge.

He was silent for a moment before asking, "so why did you leave New York?"

"Because I got pregnant and had an abortion because I'm not ready for something like that and my mom freaked and kicked me out."

"I understand," he nodded, "don't you want to try and make up with your mom?"

"Do you want me to go back to New York?" She asked, getting a little upset. She liked Mark and Teddy and being in Seattle.

"No, no. I just thought you might want to. Too soon?"

"I think so," she nodded, "I hope you guys don't hate me, too."

"We don't hate you! We just don't know you yet; you've only been here a week. And you don't know us. So we'll work on that."

She drank some of her sode, "that's fair. you and Teddy seem pretty cool and you don't have loud sex so that's nice."

His daughter was definitely blunt. He chuckled, "well we'll try not to while you're here."

"Eww eww! Don't tell me things like that! That means you'll have loud sex when I'm not here and I now know about it!" She took her glass and went to her room, closing the door behind her.

Mark nodded once to himself and went back to his room.

"I think that went well."

MTMTMTMT

It was nearing Christmas and Teddy had the day off so she took Sloan to the mall with her to do some Christmas shopping. The mall was filled with shoppers, but not too busy as it was the middle of the day and Christmas music played from the speakers.

The two were strolling past stores after getting some Starbucks.

"How did you meet my dad?" Sloan asked.

"We met a couple days after September 11th at the hospital where I worked. He bought me coffee at midnight and gave me his phone number. We dated a little while before I joined the army."

"You were in the army!" Sloan hadn't heard that before.

Teddy nodded, "for five years. Your dad and I lost touch but we both ended up in Seattle."

"That's such a cute story! Its like a movie," she smiled.

"A little bit," Teddy agreed.

"I really like you," Sloan told her, "sorry I've been a bitch at times."

"Its alright," Teddy rubbed Sloan's shoulder, "we're all adjusting."

"Yeah," Sloan drank some of her latte, "I think I really like Seattle. Do you mind if I stay longer?"

"Of course not!" The older blonde replied, "and your dad would love it."

"You don't hate me for coming here and moving in and being here?"

Teddy smiled at her, "I don't hate you. I never hated you. You're Mark's daughter and I love him so its hard not to like you, too."

"You guys are weird," she commented then noticed something in the window of a store, "oh look at that purse!"

MTMTMTMTMTMT

Mark sat down on the couch next to his daughter while the snow rain mix fell outside in the early January cold. Teddy was in the kitchen making them all hot chocolate.

"Are you going to apply to schools?" He ask, stopping her channel surfing.

"Aaand pay for college how?" She asked. She was truely looking for a job but no one was hiring.

"We'll help you," Mark told her.

She let out a small, somewhat sarcastic laugh, "yeah, okay." Her mom didn't have the money to help her.

Teddy handed them mugs of hot chocolate and sat in the arm chair adjacent to the couch. "We will," she assured Sloan.

"We were talking about it and we want you to go to school," Mark explained, "not to get rid of you but so that you can figure out what you want to do with your life."

"Can I live on campus?" She asked, looking at them both.

"Yes," Mark nodded.

"Can I go out of state?" She was almost testing them to see if there were any limitations to this offer.

"If you want," replied Teddy.

"If I go to school in Seattle, can I still live on campus even though I could commute and it would be cheaper?"

"Sure. Living on campus is great."

Sloan considered that for a moment. "What if you two have a kid."

"Then you'll have a little brother or sister," Mark replied, not totally sure where she was going.

Teddy smiled softly, "Sloan, go to school. Do whatever you want to do. Don't worry about the money, okay? Even if we have a baby you will be fine."

"Wow, you guys must be loaded. I'm gonna go do some searches on schools," she got up, took her hot chocolate and went to her room.

Mark leaned back into the couch, "You are so much better at talking to her."

"Don't worry about it," she moved to sit next to him, "I know how girls think. And Sloan is more like you than you think. She's a little insecure but won't come out and say it because she's stubborn and she's been hurt before. You just have to tell her you're not going anywhere."

Mark smiled at her, "I love you."

"I love you, too," she grinned.

"What do you think about having a baby?" He asked, thinking about what Sloan said.

"I think one or two would be nice. Not right now though; once we get a bigger place," she looked around, thinking about how crowded their aparment would be with the three of them and a baby, "and Sloan feels more secure. But if it happened I would definitely not be opposed to the idea.

His smile grew; he loved that she was thinking about a future and putting Sloan into the equation. "You are an amazing woman."

Teddy smiled back at him. "I know," she replied before kissing him.

PART 4

Sloan ended up getting accepted to Seattle University, Columbia, University of Washington and UCLA. After a lot of debate she chose to go to UCLA because 'at least she'd get a tan'.

She surprised both Mark and Teddy by saying she wanted to start in the summer semester since she was starting later than her graduating class - not that she cared what anyone in her graduating class thought, she just wanted to catch up a little. And the summer semester was only 8 weeks. She'd be back for a few weeks before the fall semester.

They surprised her with a car - she'd have to get around somehow and neither of them wanted her to have to rely on public transportation. (And more importantly she never asked for a car.)

MTMTMTMT

After running around with Sloan, getting everything she'd need for school and for her dorm and setting up a joint checking account with Mark so she'd have some money to spend until she got a job, they helped her pack and saw her off to school.

Right after Sloan left they were both on call with late surgeries and no time to catch up on sleep.

Teddy just got done talking with her patient's family and was currently in line at the coffee cart, in need of caffeine. She wanted to work on paperwork before she went to sleep - if sleep was even possible.

"Crazy couple of days, huh?" She heard her boyfriend ask from behind her.

She turned around with a smile, "That was the first thing you said to me."

"I know. And we met at a coffee cart," he grinned and went up with her when it was her turn.

"Do you make it a habit to buy coffee for women you just met?" she asked with a smile, remembering their first conversation.

"Only the one I want to marry."

That threw her and he smirked. Her coffee was forgotten and she looked at him in shock, trying to figure out if he was serious. He smiled, got down on one knee and held a ring up to her.

"Theodora Altman," he smiled as he spoke even though he had never been as nervous as he was now, "we met buying coffee and I never thought I'd fall in love with the girl joining the army but here we are, years later and on the other side of the country and I can't imagine my life without you. Will you marry me?"

She was almost crying as he proposed. she kneeled down with him nodding, "yes," she whispered.

He slid the diamond ring on her finger and stood up grinning like an idiot. He pulled her up with him and kissed her passionately.

Who would ever think that you could meet the love of your life at the coffee cart at midnight?


End file.
